Tuesday, October 20, 2009

People and Organisations I admire

Anya Grinsted

Anya Grinsted has been an unwavering support so far in my career. Having once been a teacher at Elmhurst ballet school, Anya still wished to retain her connection with Elmhurst and it’s students and so advertised for her course named ‘Back to the Barre’ on the student bulletin board.Unlike any other ballet course I had been to, this one looked at how to approach ballet training from a completely different perspective. Anya taught me how to relax my strained neck and shoulders that had resulted from my intense training by simply using the weight of the limbs to make the movement rather than tensing the muscles. This technique of concentrating the weight of the body into the floor comes from the De Vos method and is the basis of Anya’s unique teaching.When I met Anya she thought she recognised a natural dance quality in me that was getting lost due to the strain that resulted from the intense focus on my ballet technique. I am so grateful to Anya for taking me under her wing and helping me so much to release the tension in my upper body, which in due course also helped me to develop as an artist as well as a ballet technician. I admire her so much for all the hard work she put in for me, all the days she gave up to give me private tutorials when she was under no obligation and often refusing any payment. To this day, now that I am working professionally she still finds the time to send me photocopies of diagrams and information that she thinks might help me and continues to work hard teaching her own students as well as those from Elmhurst. Her dedication to dance and her young students is incredible and I will always truly admire her for that.

Robert Parker

When I was working with the Birmingham Royal Ballet I became inspired by the male principal dancer Robert Parker.Robert Parker joined the company in 1994 and from the very beginning he began to prove himself as an outstanding dancer. He progressed extremely quickly and soon began to dance more prominent roles even before he was promoted to principal.Although he has been noted for his excellence in many major roles, I remember in particular when he danced’ Edward’ in Edward 2nd. The role demanded not only technical excellence but also a huge amount of stage presence and dramatic acting, and I think it was particularly Parker’s artistic abilities on stage that drew me to admire him as a dancer. His performance of this role was so whole heartedly given and so believable that it truly established him as a favourite of mine.Throughout my high school years I had various opportunities to see him dance and also to meet him whilst working with the company. I remember in my graduate year I was finding the timetable at school combined with auditioning and performing with the company very stressful, and I will never forget how kind and supportive he was. Despite his success as a dancer he remained down to earth and kind which lead me to also admire him as a person.Most recently I was able to see him dance in one of the last roles to be created for him by David Bintley. The ballet was ‘Cyrano ’in which he was cast as the title role. Requiring the dancer to convey almost every emotion from happiness to anger, love and despair, I have never seen a performance that blew me away so much as that of Robert Parker, and I will always admire his excellence in performance.



Mercia Hetherington

Mercia Hetherington was a very prominent figure throughout my time in high school and was treasured by everyone at Elmhurst having served on the staff for 22 years. Her previous notable career as a principal dancer combined with her years of experience as a teacher made her one of the most admired people I have met so far whilst in pursuit of my career.In my second year at Elmhurst I was lucky enough to have her as my main ballet tutor. I arrived in her class enthusiastic but full of many little faults and quirks when I danced, resulting in her affectionately nick- naming me ‘Ism’ or ‘Izzie’, short for ‘mannerism’.Throughout that year Mercia worked meticulously on the basis of our classical technique starting the first five minutes of class just facing the barre and standing in first position so that we could feel our turn out. She was incredibly patient and as a result we all soon began to gain strength. I personally started to become more grounded and began to lose my tendency to fidget, and benefitted greatly from her help in ironing out my faults.There were many little things that made her both special and memorable as a teacher, such as her amazingly straight back and upright posture and her long and sharp thumbnails that she used to grow especially so that she could poke our muscles if we weren’t using them. She also realised the importance of being versatile and encouraged us to do well in all our dance classes as well as her own.Mercia was both a prestigious and kind member of our school, to this day I visit her for advice which she is always willing and passionate to give and I hope to continue my visits to this inspiring lady.

David Bintley CBE



My admiration for David Bintley, the Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet first began at the age of 8 when I was accepted in to the Royal Ballet School’s Junior Associate programme in Birmingham. For 3 years I trained in the Birmingham Royal Ballet studios every Saturday and whilst I was there, I was fortunate to be given many opportunities to perform with the resident company.My first chance to work with David Bintley came when I was successfully chosen to dance in his ballet ‘Still Life at the Penguin Cafe’. Working with him at such a young age was a wonderful opportunity, he was kind and clearly very passionate, and he knew every detail of what he wanted us to do.It was an invaluable experience dancing with his company and performing in many different theatres and I never thought that an opportunity like that would come again.But at the age of 10 I was chosen to perform the child role of’ Princess Phillipa’ in David Bintley’s production of Edward 2nd. The Artistic Director’s continuing faith in me lead me to greatly admire both him and his work as I was launched into rehearsals for his intensely dramatic ballet. I feel so lucky to have worked closely with Mr Bintley so early on, and I owe the fact that I had such a wonderful introduction to my future career almost entirely to him.In my first year at Elmhurst Ballet School, I was asked to dance with the company again. And this time I would be touring with the company to Hong Kong and then later to New York City.Such an opportunity as this was very special to me and I can only feel great admiration for David Bintley and his belief in me.




Prague Masterclasses

I first attended Prague Masterclasses at the age of 16 and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to go back again for another 2 years. Out of many other summer courses I have attended, I admire this one in particular for the opportunities it presents to both inexperienced and professional dancers and also for the fact that it is a non-profit organisation.Daria Klimentova, principal dancer with English National Ballet and her husband Ian set up the ballet masterclasses in Prague in order to promote particularly Classical Ballet in Daria’s home country, the Czech Republic. The course gives dancers the opportunity to be taught by some of the best principal dancers still currently at the top of their career such as Tamara Rojo and Sofiane Sylve and also famous dancers that have retired from dancing such as Viviana Durante.Not only do the dancers get to work with the very best in their field but they also get to tackle a wide variety of repertoire. On one occasion I had a great opportunity to learn Juliet’s solo from 1st act of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by Kenneth Macmillan. Repertoire such as this is usually reserved for those already dancing professionally at soloist or principal level and I really appreciate how Prague Masterclasses gives you the chance to learn roles like this.Despite the fact that the two week course is in the middle of the summer holiday, Daria and her staff work hard to teach class, solos, pas de deux and group repertoire in order that they can pass on their passion, experience and knowledge to those who are willing to learn. I admire very much all the effort that is put in by the organisation in order that young dancers can continue to be inspired by their art.

Monday, October 19, 2009

CV

Laura Quin
lquin_87@hotmail.com
Height: 1.67m Weight: 49kg
Performance Experience
2008/2009 Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Giselle, Queen, Nutcracker, Kevade, Vanemuine Theater Ballett
2007/2008 Swan Lake, Chor. Xin Peng Wang, (swan) Ballett Dortmund
2006/07 Varri Capricci, Chor. M.Corder, (soloist) Elmhurst School for Dance
2006 Romeo and Juliet, Chor.K.MacMillan (villager/ballroom) Birmingham Royal Ballet
2006 Firebird, Chor.M.Fokine (indian wife) Birmingham Royal Ballet
2006 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Chor.I.Mukhamedov (soloist) Elmhurst School for Dance
2005 Coppelia, Chor.N.Barbara, (Prayer) Opening of Elmhurst School for Dance
2004 Romeo and Juliet, Chor.K.MacMillan (villager/ballroom) Birmingham Royal Ballet
2002 Swan Lake, Chor.D.Deane, (villager) English National Ballet
2002 Malcolm Arnold Dances, Chor.C.Hampson, (demi-soloist) Elmhurst School for Dance
2001/02 The Nutcacker, Chor.D.Deane, (party girl/mouse) English National Ballet
2000/01 The Sleeping Beauty, Chor.D.Deane, (fairy attendant) English National Ballet
2000 Edward II, New York, Chor.D.Bintley, (Princess Phillippa) Birmingham Royal Ballet
2000 Edward II, Hong Kong, Chor.D.Bintley, (Princess Phillippa) Birmingham Royal Ballet
1999 Still Life at the Penguin Café, Chor.D,Bintley,(Amazonian child) Birmingham Royal Ballet
Training
1999-2007 Elmhurst School for Dance in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet
Teachers and guest teachers include: Irek Mukhamedov, Masha Mukhamedova, Patrick Hinson, Patricia Linton, Marion Tait, Christopher Hampson, William Glassman and Cynthia Harvey.
2006 Awarded Distinction for Royal Academy of Dance Advanced II
1996-1999 Junior Associate of the Royal Ballet School
Additional Styles Studied
Contemporary, Jazz, Modern, Tap, Flamenco, Irish, Character Dance
Achievements
National Music and Ballet Scheme Award
National Dance and Drama Award
Prize for Most Promising Dancer, Elmhurst School For Dance
Finalist in Gillian Lynne Choreographic Competition
Citizenship: British

My Five Resources

Dance Europe http://www.danceeurope.net/

Dance Europe magazine and website has information about many different types of dance companies around the world. I have used it mostly for audition information when I have been looking for a job, and continue to keep track of this information in the event that I wish to change companies or move to specialise in a different area of dance.

Pilates DVDs

I keep a small collection of 2 or 3 DVDs that specialise in Pilates exercises for dancers. I find these very helpful as they clearly show how specific muscles can be worked on and I often refer to them when I am concentrating on strengthening a particular muscle group or just to help build my general strength and to promote muscle tone.

Vanemuine Theatre Websites http://www.vanemuine.ee/

The Vanemuine Theatre is my current place of work and I often visit the website for general theatre news as well as for that of the ballet company. I find this website most useful for being able to check my daily timetable and dates of performances that I am in and of those I would like to see.

The Dancing Times http://www.dancing-times.co.uk/

The Dancing Times magazine concentrates on news and events happening in dance in the UK. It includes articles such as one to one interviews with selected dancers of the month to reviews of the latest productions. Other interesting articles can also be found that are related to dance, looking at topics such as dance psychology and healthy eating. I like to read this magazine as it often inspires me to read and look at pictures of up and coming dancers and I am always interested in the latest dance productions. The reviews often give me an idea of what I would like to go and watch myself. I also pick up other information that is useful for me in my day to day lifestyle as a dancer.

Dance Photographer Simon Richardson http://www.simonrichardson.org/

It is very useful for me to keep in contact with a photographer that specialises in Dance. I have already visited Simon Richardson’s studios a couple of times for intense photographing sessions lasting up to 4 or 5 hours in order to prepare a portfolio for potential employers to look at. The nature of auditioning means that it is easier for companies to select those dancers that look like they are suitable for the company to go and audition to keep the number that turns up to a minimum. Therefore pictures need to be good quality and need to present the dancer and their assets in the best light. I keep in contact with my photographer in case I might need any more copies of photos, or new photos taking if I make the decision to move from my current company to another.

Links of Interest



As a dancer, one of the most enjoyable things for me is being a part of a brand new production. Although sometimes nerve racking, it is always exciting to be on stage with a new set, choreography and costumes.
I was lucky to work with many prestigious choreographers during my time at school such as Christopher Hampson, Michael Corder and Irek Mukhamedov, and being involved in the premieres of their ballets left me wanting the same experience as a professional. It just so happened that when I joined the Vanemuine Theatre in April 2008, the ballet company had begun working with the renowned Swedish choreographer Par Isberg on his brand new production of Sleeping Beauty. This was a very exciting introduction to the company for me and was the beginning of a year in which the company would be premiering 3 new works.

This is a photo of Hayley Jean Blackburn and Steven Melendez as Aurora and the Young Man in Par Isberg's adaptation of 'The Sleeping Beauty'. Photo taken by Ranno.



It is a great feeling to have a role created for you, especially when the choreographer is able to play to your strengths, although it is also good to be challenged technically. I like the intense rehearsals and working hard on new steps, and I find the ideas and thought processes of a choreographer intriguing and very interesting to watch.
Alongside the work in the studio there is also the new lighting, set and costume design which I am always excited to see and which contributes to the feeling that I am part of something special. I always feel motivated when working on a new piece and I hope I will be able to enjoy more opportunities to work in new productions in the near future.

Here's a clip of the Folk dance from one of the new works 'Kevade' choreographed by Ruslan Stepanov.......great fun to dance! This was performed in a stadium for a ballet Gala in front of an audience of 8000 people.



I also have a passion for a particular ballet which I love to watch and which never fails to inspire me. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ has to be one of my favourite ballets because, for me, it seems to have everything.
Throughout the ballet, the principal dancers have to portray a mixture of innocence, love, happiness, hatred, anger, anxiety and complete despair making it one of the most artistically challenging and emotionally intense ballets to dance and one of the most inspiring to watch. I have seen a couple of different versions but choreographically the one that stood out to me was Kenneth Macmillan’s adaptation set to the wonderful Prokofiev score. The choreography and the music complement each other so beautifully that the story is clearly depicted and easy to follow as well as extremely moving. It is a rare occasion that I can watch this ballet without becoming tearful or crying by the end.

Here are two legenedary dancers of the Royal Ballet, Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev dancing the balcony pas de deux in Kenneth Macmillan's 'Romeo and Juliet'.



I have to acknowledge that a lot of what makes this ballet so special is the music. Having performed in this production as a member of the corps de ballet I found that Prokofiev's score allowed me to be absorbed in the character I was playing and it was easy to feel the different emotions I had to portray. I love listening to it as I think it is one of the most beautifully crafted pieces of music for ballet that I have heard to date.

It is often the thought of getting to play Juliet that motivates and inspires me to work harder; it is definitely the one role I would love to dance.
Who am I?

I am currently a professional Classical Ballet dancer with the Vanemuine Theatre in Estonia.


What are my main skills and areas of knowledge?

My main skills are mostly in Classical Ballet but I also maintain skills in many other types of dance such as Jazz, Tap, Flamenco, Contemporary and Character Dance. My main areas of knowledge are also centred around these dance styles.


What are my professional interests?

As I am already working as a member of the ‘corps de ballet’, my professional interests are now centred around improving as a dancer and becoming more experienced on stage so that I can pursue dancing more solo and principal roles.